


Do You Know the Muffin Man?

by defbumsin



Category: GOT7, Markson - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Muffins, New York City, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 02:49:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12644616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defbumsin/pseuds/defbumsin
Summary: Thank you for reading my first Markson one-shot! I have a long-chap Markson fic in the works so look out for that! Also, if you read Seeking Love, be on the look out for chapter 5! Thank you again for reading :)





	Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Mark stepped into his new shared apartment in New York City with a box labeled ‘kitchen’ in his hands, setting it down in its respective location as the door slammed shut behind him. Him and his best friend since elementary school, Jinyoung, had finally managed to get stable, well-paying jobs, allowing them both to move out of their parent’s homes two months after graduating. The two knew of the famous saying, “never live with your best friend,” but honestly, who else were they going to live with? Of course they had the option to live alone. However, with rent being so high in the big apple, the two knew that it would be much cheaper for them to just share an apartment.

Mark walked into the living room and looked around, taking in the brick walls, hardwood floors, and the sun shinning brightly through the floor to ceiling windows. When him and Jinyoung first began apartment hunting, he didn’t really care much for the style of it; as long as the apartment was spacious—especially his room—then everything else didn’t matter. That was until Jinyoung found this apartment online. Mark fell in love immediately once he saw the brick-walling for the living room. The rest of the apartment was amazing of course, but the living room really spoke volumes to him. It made Mark feel like he was in a romantic-comedy film and that he was going to live in a beautiful apartment while experiencing the great ups and downs of life. It was corny, he knew it, but he didn’t care because the apartment made him feel good; that’s how he knew it was the one.

“I know, right?” Jinyoung said, walking over to stand next to Mark with several picture frames in his hand. “Every time I walk in here I think about how lucky we were to find this apartment.”

“All thanks to you, Jinyoungie,” looking over and smiling at his best friend, to which Jinyoung responded to with a smile of his own. “This apartment is amazing.”

Taking in one last look around the room, both boys got to work. It was 7 in the morning and they wanted to get things done. Thankfully, neither one of them had as much belongings as they originally thought; the small spaces they were in before just made it seem that way—or maybe being in a bigger space just gave them more room for their things. Either way, the boys were glad they were able to fit in all of their items the way they wanted, while still having plenty of room left over for the new items they knew they would be purchasing for their shared home in the future.

After finishing up with unpacking the boxes and setting up the living room, kitchen, bathroom and hallways, Mark and Jinyoung finally began to set up their own rooms. Like the rest of the apartment, their rooms were spacious, which was never a luxury for them before. Taking advantage of their personal spaces, each took their time in setting up their rooms, making sure they were styled in the way that suited their tastes best; Jinyoung had a wall dedicated for his book collection and desk, while Mark had one dedicated to his vast collection of sneakers.

“Hey Jinyoungie, did you have any plans for later?” Mark yelled from his room, sitting down on his bed after putting the last piece to his bedroom in its place just as the clock struck 4:30pm, finally done with setting up his personal space.

“Not really. Why?” Jinyoung yelled back, Mark guessing the answer to his next question due to the evident tiredness in his friend’s voice.

“I’m going to go out to roam the city for a bit. Wanna come?”

“I would, but I’m so tired from all of the unpacking we did today,” Jinyoung said as he walked into Mark’s room, eyes heavy.

“Want anything while I’m out then?” Mark said as he wrote down a few things on his grocery list.

“Some peaches would be great. I’ll wire you $2.”

“No don’t worry about it, I got you,” Mark said as he guided Jinyoung to his bedroom and made his way toward the front door. “Be back soon!”

 

 

 

The city was beautiful. A bit dirty and smelly in certain areas, but still beautiful in Mark’s eyes. It was one thing to see New York City on a screen and in photos; Mark felt it didn’t do the city enough justice. The way the sun’s light bounced off the glass of skyscrapers and formed abstract shapes on the ground around him made Mark feel like his reality wasn’t quite real. Living in New York City had always been a dream of his, but it had been a dream he thought he would never achieve. Yet, here he was, standing in the heart of New York City which was no longer a foreign place to him; it was now his home.

While he was out, Mark took the time to explore the area around him, deciding that exploring the city as a whole would be best saved for another day and should be something he does with Jinyoung. Since Soho was the closest area to the apartment, Mark roamed the neighborhood, letting his eyes window shop as he passed restaurants, lofts, and high-end stores. Each building he passed he fell more and more in love with, questioning again and again how this could possibly be his life.

When he crossed the street and saw the small park across from him with a sign and multiple entrances to a train station stating “Union Square”, he then realized that he had been out longer than he originally thought. He was so entranced by the buildings and busy city life that he lost track of time. Checking his phone, he saw that he had been out for a little over an hour. He felt stupid for turning back around since he just finished crossing the street, but it was time for him to get back home; the tiredness from all of the unpacking today was also beginning to set in.

As he was turning around though, a cluster of stands caught his eye. His interest peaked, Mark began walking over, realizing as he got closer that the cluster of stands was actually a farmer’s market. _Oh great, I can get Jinyoung his peaches._ Approaching a fruit stand, Mark bought Jinyoung his peaches along with some apples and bananas for himself. He thought to himself that it couldn’t hurt to look around, so he took a stroll, eyeing and/or visiting a few of the stands. He had made almost a complete circle around the block when the smell of cinnamon and apples tickled his nose; his stomach rumbled in response, reminding him that it was also time to eat.

Following the smell that made his stomach cave and crave for food and his mouth water, Mark was led to a small muffin stand. Muffins ranging from corn, blueberry, chocolate, apple cinnamon, lemon crumb, banana nut, and more were organized by their flavors, accompanied by homemade lemonade and iced tea. There was a board that listed all of the ingredients used for both the muffins and the drinks, each one listed with “organic” written in bold black letters before them for extra emphasis on the organic factor.

Looking up from the inventory to place an order, Mark was greeted by two smiles placed on the faces of men looking to be around the same age as him. The man to his right had his hair styled to the front, which was black, and had a side part on the right of his head. Over his left eye were two small beauty marks on his lid, which Mark thought were very unique and beautiful. He wore a plain white t-shirt, ripped jeans and Nikes, dressed casually but looking good while doing so. The man on his left was shorter, but considering his body proportions, Mark thought the height fit him nicely. His hair was brown and split evenly down the middle. His eyes made him look like a puppy, but paired with his smile, Mark thought the man looked like the pokemon character, Squirtle. The man also wore jeans, but they weren’t ripped, and instead of a t-shirt he was wearing a black tank top—well, his whole outfit was black, actually. Mark guessed that it may be the mans favorite color, seeing that he was wearing such a dark color while it was 90 degrees outside.

“Good evening and welcome to Baked by J&J!” the man on the left said in a cheery tone, smile spreading wider on his face. “How may we help you today?”

“Hi, may I have one apple cinnamon muffin and then, um…” Mark put a finger on his chin as he looked around at the wide variety of muffins he could choose from.

Seeing that he was having a hard time choosing, the man who previously spoke, spoke again. “If you’re having trouble choosing—which is understandable considering our muffins are the best-

“Jackson, please…” said the other man, rolling his eyes but laughing at his colleague sneaking in an opportunity to market their products.

“Okay, okay,” Jackson laughed which was high-pitched and loud, “As I was saying before, if you’re having trouble choosing, I would be more than happy to choose one for you. I have a personal favorite that you might like.”

Considering the offer, Mark agreed. “I won’t look at which one you choose so I can be surprised when I eat it later,” he said, giving Jackson a flirtatious smile and closing his eyes; it was a smile that Jinyoung told him he only uses when he’s flirting with someone. Mark never noticed when he was doing it though. It was always a subconscious thing. However, Jackson picked up on it and was more than happy to flirt back, especially since he had been eyeing Mark the moment he began making his way over. He usually hated going for guys that were taller than him and Mark was definitely taller, but his features were too beautiful to ignore. Mark’s lips were the first to catch Jackson’s attention. They were small and pink, and they looked as if they were as soft and smooth as a baby’s bottom. Next was Mark’s hair. The dark locks bounced along his forehead with every step he took and Jackson wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through his silky tresses. Despite his small body structure, Mark’s body was still muscular and fit which Jackson thought matched his height well. For a lack of a better term, Jackson was quite whipped, knowing immediately that he wanted Mark. Meanwhile his colleague stood to the side, well aware of what was going on and intrigued by how the situation in front of him would play out.

“Jaebum, may you hand me a box to put these in?”

Opening his eyes, Mark watched Jackson as he closed the box and sealed it with a sticker that was decorated with their logo. As Jaebum calculated Mark’s bill, Jackson decided to have some small talk, wanting to get to know his customer more.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Jackson said, leaning in closer as he watched Mark smile once more.

“Nope. Just moved here from California.”

“That’s a pretty long way from home. You sure you’ll be ok here, all by yourself?”

“I actually moved here with my friend,” Mark laughed, both at Jackson’s comment and at the way his face dropped at the news that he was in fact, not alone. “Also, I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

“Your total is $5.25. Cash or card?” Jaebum interrupted, clearly wanting to get business done while Jackson had his fun.

Mark handed Jaebum exact change, then proceeded to grab his muffins and fix the rest of the bags in his hands as he got ready to make his way back home. “How often are you guys here?”

“You haven’t even tried our muffins yet and you already want to come back for more?” Jackson teased, raising one eyebrow as he smirked at Mark.

“Excuse him,” Jaebum said as he elbowed Jackson in his side. “We’re here every Friday for the farmer’s market from 12-6pm.”

“Thank you, I’ll make sure to stop by again next week.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jackson smiled, to which Mark responded to with his own smile and a wave as he began his journey back to his apartment.

When Mark was a good distance away, Jaebum turned to Jackson with his hands on his hips and his left eyebrow raised.

“What? What’s that look for?” Jackson said, trying his best to play innocent even though he knew it wouldn’t work; nothing ever got past Jaebum.

“Control your dick.”

 

 

 

During the walk, all he could think about was Jackson. He was, of course, excited and ready to try the muffins, especially the one Jackson had chosen, but Jackson was the main thing on his mind. Mark would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel an immediate attraction with the man. Jaebum was attractive as well, but something about the way Jackson carried himself just naturally drew Mark in. What made it even better was when the man began to talk. His voice was deep but still had a lightness to it, and his laugh was like music to his ears as well; Mark thought he had the happiest laugh in the world.

It wasn’t until Mark noticed people giving him weird looks or smiled back at him that he realized he was smiling like an idiot; he had just met Jackson not even an hour ago and they barely knew each other yet the man already had some type of control of him. He quickly fixed his face and cleared his throat as he tried to compose himself, putting his head down as he approached the block his building was located.

Mark entered the building and took the elevator to the fifth floor, unlocking the door to his shared apartment once he reached the floor and exited the elevator. Upon entering, Mark’s stomach growled once more as the pleasant smell of Jinyoung’s cooking flowed in the air throughout the apartment. He wasn’t sure what the occasion was, but he knew it was big considering the amount of pots, pans, and food he saw all throughout the kitchen once he entered. Much like the living room, the kitchen had brick walling with stainless steel appliances, white cabinets, and tan marble countertops. Jinyoung, focused on the chicken he had in the oven as the skin browned, didn’t notice Mark’s presence and was startled when Mark snuck up behind him and whispered in his ear, asking, “What’s the special occasion, Jinyoungie?”

“Jesus Mark, you scared me!” Jinyoung screamed, turning around and slapping Mark on the arm. “And I thought that we should celebrate our first night here with a nice home-cooked meal.”

“Well, I hope you aren’t planning to make dessert as well,” Mark said as he took the muffins out of the box they were packaged in. “I bought us some muffins, and I got your favorite.”

“Apple cinnamon?” Jinyoung asked, perking up with a wide smile plastered on his face as he watched Mark place his muffin on a small plate.

“You know it.”

“You’re the best friend in whole wide world,” Jinyoung said as he attacked Mark with small pecks all over his right cheek, the older boy responding with loud laughs and screams as he tried and failed to run away.

The timer went off, signaling that it was time to stop playing around now that the food was done. The two made their plates—putting more food onto them than they usually would—and sat at the small, square, wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. Usually when eating together, the two would watch and enjoy their favorite shared television show. However, a new episode came on tomorrow and they were way too excited to talk about this new journey they were both embarking on.

“I can’t believe it, we’re finally on our own. I mean, we don’t live alone, but still,” Jinyoung said, taking another bite and looking off into space as he fantasized about how great his life was going to be living as an adult in none other than New York City.

“I get what you mean,” Mark said, equally doing the same as his friend sitting across from him. “We’re finally adults. No more school, tests, homework, none of that.”

“A toast to that please,” Jinyoung said, raising his glass and meeting it with Mark’s as their glasses clinked.

Now that he was well fed, Mark was no longer tired, and since Jinyoung had taken a long and much-needed nap, he was also feeling alive and alert. Still, the two were not exactly ready to go out and enjoy the great nightlife they knew the city would offer them. So instead, the two decided to stay in and watch old Looney Tunes cartoons.

Cuddled up under their blankets on the couch, Jinyoung and Mark screamed and laughed like little kids as they watched the cartoons and enjoyed being in the space of their new home. The happiness in the home was thick and anyone who entered would become instantly happy as well. Neither one of them knew what the future had in store for them as they opened this new chapter in their lives, but they both were ready to face it head on, taking it day by day and living in and enjoying the present as best they can. Even something as small as this, watching cartoons together, had a meaning that was understood but unspoken between the two; they could live how they wanted and feel free while doing it.

Suddenly in the mood for a movie, Mark searched for classic Disney movies as Jinyoung went into the kitchen to make them tea. There were many great movies to choose from, but Mark ended up choosing The Lady and the Tramp, a favorite of both Mark and Jinyoung. As the beginning credits began to play, Jinyoung came back in with hot black tea and the muffins Mark bought earlier.

“Thought now would be a good time to enjoy them,” Jinyoung said as he gave Mark his muffin and tea and snuggled back into his spot with his own.

Upon seeing the muffin, Mark at first scrunched up his face, asking himself when he picked the muffin sitting in front of him instead of getting his usual, but then he remembered the man who had picked it for him: Jackson. In correlation with his thoughts, butterflies fluttered in his stomach and his heart leaped as he replayed Jackson offering to choose his muffin, a muffin that he deemed to be one of his favorites. Picking up the muffin, Mark slowly brought the soft baked good to his lips. Even though it had been a few hours since he bought it, the muffin still smelled as fresh as it did earlier, and Mark sighed by the sweet aroma of it.

The muffin was like no other he’s ever had before; Mark thought he was going to climax as his eyes and head rolled back and moaned, “So good,” out loud. The amount of flavors bursting in his mouth after taking his first bite was unreal. He wasn’t sure if the muffin was actually good or if it just seemed that way because it was Jackson who picked it out for him, but Mark wanted more—he _needed_ more. Mark was definitely going back to the farmer’s market next week. He needed to see Jackson again and he clearly needed more muffins too; it was undeniable how good the treat was and the muffin Jinyoung was having nearly had him out his seat.

 

 

 

It was Friday and instead of making his way home from work like he did during the previous days of the week, Mark took the 6 train downtown to 14th St.-Union Sq. Thankfully the atmosphere at his job allowed for them to dress however they felt comfortable. Mark felt it would have been so embarrassing to approach Jackson in business professional clothing while the other would definitely be dressed down.

He was nervous during the train ride, but as he got closer to the farmer’s market Mark thought he was going to pass out with how hard he was breathing. However, as he got closer to the stand, he didn’t see Jackson in sight and all of his nerves left him. Not even Jaebum was there. Instead, he saw three unfamiliar faces. Mark stopped in his tracks, not really sure of what to do. He was so confused. Jackson had told him that they attended the farmer’s market every Friday, so Mark didn’t understand why he wasn’t at the stand. He turned around and walked away, but only got about a few feet away before he was heading back in the direction of the muffin stand.

 _Maybe it’s a different muffin stand and Jackson is just in a different location this week_ , Mark thought to himself as he tried to keep his hopes high. To his dismay, as he approached the stand he saw the same signs from the stand Jackson was at and the logo of their brand, “Baked by J&J.” Now that his hopes were officially let down he wanted to run off again, but before he could do so one of the three men greeted him.

“Good evening sir! Would you like to try one of our free samples?”

The first man to speak to him had a wide tooth grin. His cherry-blonde hair was styled to the front, bangs cut perfectly along his forehead. His figure was slim, but not as slim as the two tall boys standing next to him who were eyeing Mark and snickering to each other in the corner. They were both tall and skinny, yet still had lean bodies. They looked to be about in their early 20s—probably seniors in college. One had blue-black hair and chocolate eyes while the other had silver hair and wore purple contacts. It was clear they were co-workers, but by the way they were interacting with one another, Mark thought the two may actually be dating. Bringing his attention back to the man who spoke, Mark cleared his throat and straightened his chest, trying to hide his evident disappointment.

“No thank you,” Mark said, laughing nervously in the end as his nerves began to kick in. “I know which ones I’d like to have though.”

“Sure! Which ones would you like?” The man said as he motioned at one of the other two boys to hand him a box.

“I’ll take two apple cinnamon muffins and, um…”

Mark was stuck. When Jackson chose the muffin for him, he wasn’t looking. He could have easily just randomly chosen another type of muffin to buy, especially since the encounter was starting to become awkward due to his silence, but Mark wanted the same muffin from before. He wanted the muffin Jackson had chosen for him. So Mark knew what he had to do.

“Sir?”

“Listen, last week I came to this exact same stand but there were two other men here-”

“Oh you’re talking about Jaebum and Jackson!” the man with the silver hair interrupted.

“Yes, and Jackson chose one of the muffins I purchased. However,” the short amount of confidence he had picked up began to dissipate, and once again Mark felt himself getting nervous. “I wasn’t looking at the name of the one he had chosen and I really want to buy that one again…”

“Well, if you know what the muffin looks like then you should just be able to choose it on your own now,” said the man who had first spoken to him.

“Oh, yes, I guess that’s true, but-” Mark said quietly, putting his head down as he began to feel like the most stupid person in the world for not thinking of the obvious.

“You’re not just here for that muffin, are you?” Now the man with the blue-black hair had spoken up, and he was looking at Mark with a smirk on his face.

“Yugyeom, where are your manners!”

“Ohhhhhhh, I see what’s going on here. You’re here for the boss,” the man with the silver hair teased, taking a step closer toward Mark as he analyzed the embarrassment on his face that confirmed his curiosity.

“Wow, I am so sorry for these two. BamBam and Yugyeom are never like this with customers, so I don’t know what’s gotten into them,” the first man said, glaring at his co-workers next to him.

“Oh come on, Youngjae! Wouldn’t you want to know if the boss had a boyfriend?”

“No, I wouldn’t, because it’s none of my business and neither is it yours.”

Mark was feeling extremely uncomfortable with how he was being put on the spot. Even though he hadn’t verbally confirmed anything, he knew that the look of embarrassment on his face and his silence was giving everything away. He began to regret ever coming back to the stand and wanted nothing more than to run from them as quick and far away as possible.

“You know what, I think I’ll just go-”

“No wait!” said Yugyeom, coming out from behind the stand and grabbing Mark’s shoulder to turn him back around. “Here’s the address to the main store. Jackson will be there until close,” he said as he handed Mark a napkin with the address on it.

Hesitantly, Mark took the napkin from Yugyeom and eyed the address. BamBam and Yugyeom were right. While the muffins were delicious and he wanted to pick more up for himself and Jinyoung, he knew that deep down he wanted to see Jackson again. Now he had the opportunity to do that.

“Thank you for your help,” Mark said, giving each of them a shy but thankful smile.

“Of course! We’re sorry for teasing you too,” BamBam said as he came around the stand and handed Mark the two apple cinnamon muffins he had picked. “Here, it’s on us.”

Thanking them again, Mark took the muffins and began making his way to the train station as he heard the three shout, “Good luck!” in the distance. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say or do once he got to the shop and saw Jackson, but he didn’t care. Mark just wanted to see his face again. That alone was enough.

 

 

 

“What the fuck was I thinking?” Mark asked himself out loud as he stood outside the shop. “I can’t do this—I CANNOT do this!”

He began to pace back and forth as he questioned again and again just what the hell he was doing. Mark did tell Jackson that he would be back to visit again, but that was in regards to the stand at the farmer’s market. Neither one of them said anything about Mark stopping by the actual shop. Now he was worried that Jackson would think he was a creep and was stalking him.

 _“If he asks how you found the shop just explain to him what happened. Stop complicating things and get your ass in the store,”_ is what Jinyoung would say, and if Jinyoung were saying that right now, Mark would know that he was right. So he took a deep breath and buried his worries as he opened the door and stepped inside the shop.

The shop was big; the walls were brown with white and tan quotes adorning them. Wooden tables and chairs were lined up along the windows while in the middle there were three black leather couches and a hardwood coffee table that faced toward a small stage at the far end. Looking over to his left, Mark saw all the shelves that were filled with muffins as well as other small treats. The food and drinks displayed on the menus were all organic and there were even vegetarian and vegan options. Mark began to walk over, and as he got closer he saw Jackson kneeling down by the mini fridge as he restocked it with bottled water and other drinks. Closing his eyes, Mark took a deep breath, willing any confidence he had left to aid him.

“That muffin you gave me was really good- oh my god Jackson, are you okay?”

Once again, Mark was feeling stupid. He hadn’t given Jackson a proper warning that he was present, so he ended up startling the other which caused him to bump his head on the countertop. Jackson turned around with his face scrunched up as he rubbed where he hit his head, but when he saw that it was Mark who had spoken to him, his face lit up and the pain he felt was quickly forgotten.

“It’s a pleasant surprise seeing you here. How’d you find me?” Jackson said as he smiled at Mark.

Seeing that things seemed to be okay, Mark summoned his confidence once more. “I went to the stand today and really wanted to get that muffin you gave me, but you weren’t there to help pick it out for me again. So one of the guys there gave me the address and, well, here I am.”

“Yes, here you are.”

The two stood in silence as they stared at each other. Jackson had a warm smile on his face and Mark mirrored him, except his cheeks were turning pink by how much he was blushing. Needing something to save him before he broke out in a fit of giggles he felt were soon to come, Mark pushed on with the conversation.

“So, the muffin?”

“Is that all you’re here for?” Jackson asked, leaning down to rest his elbows on the counter as he smirked and raised an eyebrow at Mark.

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re implying,” Mark said as he looked away, sighing dramatically as he faked innocence. When he noticed that Jackson had still not responded, Mark looked back at where Jackson was standing behind the counter but he was gone. Before he could start looking around, he was startled by an unknown but soft touch on his right shoulder.

“How about this: if you really want the muffin, I’ll give it to you, but-”

“But?”

“But, you have to go on a date with me first,” Jackson said, eyeing Mark closely as he watched for his reaction to the statement, never breaking eye contact.

The last thing Mark expected to happen, as one of the first things to happen after moving to New York City, was for the book to his love life to be opened once more. Mark had obviously dated before, but it had been a while, and the last thing on his mind when moving to the city was his love life, whether that meant getting into another relationship or just having some fun in general. However, Mark knew that it couldn’t hurt, especially since the last time he dated anyone was his junior year of college. Also, Jackson was a catch. He would be a fool to let this opportunity of mutual attraction pass by him.

“Mark.”

“Hm?” Jackson asked, cocking his head to the side as he wasn’t really understanding the answer he was being given.

“My name is Mark.”

At this, Jackson gave Mark the biggest smile he’s ever seen, feeling good that Mark giving his name as a response to his proposal of them going on a date was a sure ‘yes’.

“It’s nice to formally meet you, Mark. I’m Jackson,” he said, already knowing that Mark knew his name, but still wanting to properly introduce himself.

“So, the muffin?” Mark asked again, smiling and letting a small laugh escape as he knew that Jackson understood what he was implying.

“Yea, the muffin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first Markson one-shot! I have a long-chap Markson fic in the works so look out for that! Also, if you read Seeking Love, be on the look out for chapter 5! Thank you again for reading :)


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